LANSING, Mich. – This past Saturday, the Lansing Pharaohs (13-9) hosted the #1 team in the division, the Jamestown Jackals (19-4). The Pharaohs entered the matchup with a 1-2 record against the division’s top dog, so they knew they’d have their work cut out for them. On top of that, they would be without their starting PG, Maurice Jones, and TBL 6 Man of The Year candidate, James Johnson. However, the Pharaohs would not flinch, as this team has grown accustomed to not playing at full strength due to various injuries all season.
The first half of the game remained a competitive back-and-forth matchup that featured a slow start by both teams, which led to a 23-19 lead for the Jackals after the first quarter. The game would pick up in the second quarter as Lansing began to hit on more of their open looks leading to a 47-47 tie at halftime.
The Pharaohs would begin to take advantage of individual matchups in the second half feeding their 6’ 11” PF/C, Sam Muldrow, the ball early and often in the second half putting him in position to score 19 second-half points after having only 4 in the first half due to early foul trouble. Pharaoh’s SG, Ja’Myrin Jackson, and SF, Jalen Sykes, also combined for a perfect 7/7 from three in the second half, while G, Latin Davis, recorded 8 assists after halftime. The Pharaohs would lead by as many as 12 in the third quarter, but Jamestown would remain resilient (for the time being), cutting the Pharaoh’s lead down to just 4 points before the fourth quarter, score: 78-74. However, the Pharaohs would prove to be too much for the Jackals as they would jump out to another significant lead, and this time not look back. Going up by as many as 23 points in the fourth before finishing the game with a 113-99 win after garbage-time minutes allowed the Jackals to close the gap slightly.
The Pharaohs shot an impressive 46.2% from the field, and 48.3% from three, which proved to be the difference as Jamestown was held to just 36.5% from the field and 35% from three. Standouts of the game for the Pharaohs included Latin Davis (21 points, 11 assists, 4 rebounds), Sam Muldrow (23 points, 12 rebounds, 6 blocks), and Ja’Myrin Jackson (33 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists); who has significantly stepped up his role as a rebounder as of recent.
Despite the big win for the Pharaohs, the playoff standings will remain the same. The Jamestown Jackals will get a first-round bye and then play the winner of the Pharaohs vs. Toledo Glass City series. The competition between the top three teams in the division has proven to be exciting stuff this season as #1 Jamestown has gone 2-2 vs. the #3 Lansing Pharaohs and 2-2 vs. the #2 Toledo Glass City, while the Pharaohs have gone 1-2 against Toledo, with 2 of the 3 games being decided in the last 10 seconds of the game.
The Lansing Pharaohs will play their first-ever playoff game this upcoming Wednesday (6.1.22) against Toledo Glass City at Don Johnson Fieldhouse (aka The Pyramid) at 7:00 PM. Lansing will play Toledo in a 3-game series that will feature one home game and two road games at Toledo on 6.3.22 and 6.4.22.